Offer fails to heal nurses' pay ills

TERRITORY nurses have been offered less than half of the salary rise they asked for under new wage and conditions negotiations.

The nurses' union said the "sub-standard" offer would leave Territory nurses among the nation's lowest paid.
The Acting Commissioner for Public Employment, Ken Simpson, publicly offered Territory nurses a 6-per-cent pay rise yesterday, staggered over two years.
Nurses were asking for about 15 per cent.
It follows a 5.34 per cent salary increase, paid in February this year under the now expired enterprise bargaining agreement.
If accepted, the new conditions package will cost the Territory Government almost $10 million over the next two years.
"We obviously took into account the log of claims the nurses put to us and we think we've responded in a fair and balanced way," Mr Simpson said.
"We think it keeps us and them placed competitively with other jurisdictions.
"They're currently about third in the nation and this will maintain that position virtually to the end of the proposed agreement in August 2008."
Under the offer, nurses will get a 2-per-cent rise next February and 4 per cent more in August 2007.
Australian Nursing Federation NT secretary Yvonne Falckh said the Government's own calculations showed Territory nurses would drop from the third best paid in the nation.
"The Government should stop trying to con nurses with weasel words and come back with a fair and reasonable offer," she said.
"I think it is insulting and I think nurses in general will take it in that manner. It's disrespectful to us as a profession."
The union will meet with its members today.

By Emma Gumbleton

Article from www.news.com.au